Side Trip
The fountain at Schwarzenbergplatz, originally uploaded by richard_munden.
One of the delights of traveling without a set itinerary is the unplanned side trip.
During our 2004 tour of Eastern Europe Mary and I had scheduled our arrival, departure, and one day that I had to be in Belgrade to give a presentation at the university there. Everything else was just making it up as we went along.
When we arrived by train in Bratislava, Slovakia, we immediately went to the information window at the train station. This has usually proven to be a good source of information for local accommodations, points of interest, etc. The lady running the office was very friendly and helpful. She found a room for us and the owner would come and pick us up and take us there. While we were waiting, she mentioned that Vienna was only one hour away by train.
She explained the local custom is to pack a lunch, and take the morning train to Vienna, spend the day there than take an evening train back. We had wanted to see Vienna but were discourage by the expense of rooms and food there. This was the perfect solution.
We took a morning train as planned. It cost only a few dollars each and allowed to see a bit more of the countryside along the way. The train stopped once for Slovak immigrations to process the passengers leaving Slovakia. Just a couple of hundred meters later it stopped again so Austrian officials could check out the passengers entering Austria.
Once we arrived in Vienna we found Schloss Belevdere was just a short walk from the station. It includes a beautiful park where we sat on benches and ate our inexpensive “imported” lunches. Afterwards we explored the grounds and walked into the city center where the above photo was taken.
Vienna sits on the west bank of the Danube, the dividing line between Eastern and Western Europe. It is, and has for centuries been, the gateway between those worlds. As such it has absorbed the cultures of both and been the seat of the Hapsburg empire. It is a truly fascinating city to explore. We spent about 6 hours walking around and seeing the sights, both famous and obscure. I would love to spend a week or two there sometime when I can figure out how to pay for it.
It was only because we avoided making detailed travel plans that we had the flexibility to enjoy this spontaneous side trip. In the future we will continue to make our plans a vague as possible.